Rancho Days Celebration shows event goers what life in the 1800s was like

ROB VARELA/THE STAR Dancer Jessica Robles finishes a song with a flourish as she performs with Ballet Folklorico de Bell Arts and Mariachi Aguilas de Oxnard at the Rancho Days Celebration at Olivas Adobe in Ventura Sunday.

ROB VARELA/THE STAR Doug Friedlander, of Ojai, playing the part of a 1850s peddler, shows off his wares, including women's unmentionables, at the Rancho Days Celebration at Olivas Adobe in Ventura Sunday.

ROB VARELA/THE STAR Juan Carlos Ozuna and Mariachi Aguilas de Oxnard perform at the Rancho Days Celebration at Olivas Adobe in Ventura Sunday.

ROB VARELA/THE STAR Gary Orozco, of Oxnard, and Julia Rubalcaba, of Ventura, help make adobe bricks at the Rancho Days Celebration at Olivas Adobe in Ventura Sunday.

ROB VARELA/THE STAR Malani del Rosario, of Ventura, tries a freshly made tortilla at the Rancho Days Celebration at Olivas Adobe in Ventura Sunday.

A Rancho Days Celebration at the historic Olivas Adobe in Ventura was designed to educate the community about what life was like in the 1800s while celebrating the 150th anniversary of the city of Ventura.

"This is a chance to step back in time into the rancho era at the Olivas Adobe that was so much a part of the cultural history of Ventura," said Georgeanne Lees, of Newbury Park, event organizer and community partnership supervisor for the city of Ventura. "This is an opportunity for kids and families to come out and participate, hands-on, in that lifestyle."

Sunday's event offered several hands-on activities, including panning for faux gold, crafting Mexican paper flowers and making adobe bricks from mud on site. Live entertainment featured performers including the Mariachi Aguilas de Oxnard and California State Old Time Fiddlers.

Several docents came dressed in character, including Ernie Calvillo, who portrayed Don Raymundo Olivas, who founded the Olivas Adobe in Ventura and later became one of the wealthiest men in the area.

"Don Raymundo founded this place in 1841, and he died here when he was about 70 years old," said Calvillo, of Ventura. "This encompassed almost 5,000 acres, and he got it because he was retired from the Mexican army and was eligible to apply for the land grant from the Mexican government. He became very rich — and his family was the richest in the county."

The couple had 21 children, said Abing, of Ventura.

"My husband is the fourth wealthiest man in Ventura and a founder of the Republican party," Abing said in character. "Our casa is our treasure."

Sunday's event featured rancho-era workshops led by the city of Ventura's outreach staff and volunteers. Demonstrations were presented by groups including the Ventura County Hand Weavers and Spinning Guild and Channel Islands Woodcarvers.

Shelley Littleton, an interpretive specialist with the city of Ventura, manned a station where guests panned for fake gold.

"This is our set up for fourth graders when we're teaching them about the gold rush and the people that came in from all over the world," explained Littleton, of Camarillo. "We also have a mock general store to show how inflation was crazy back then — how there was so much money in gold in circulation prices went up."

Rosemary Schaeffer, exhibit and education chair for the Ventura County Hand Weavers and Spinning Guild, gave yarn spinning demonstrations.

"It's not a lost art; people are still doing this," said Schaeffer, of Port Hueneme. "I'm doing this for fun and to show people what we do. This is outreach so we can show people that it's still an active craft."

The brickmaking station, using mud from a 2-foot-hole dug into the ground, was manned by Paul Vaksvik, who presents a California history program to fourth graders through the city of Ventura.

Vaksvik explained that dirt from the same area was used to make bricks for the Olivas Adobe.

"When you get down to about 2½ feet you hit a really hard layer of clay, and the clay does not make good bricks because it crumbles," said Vaksvik, of Ventura. "They'd use this adobe top soil and when they hit the clay, they'd move over, and dig another hole. So, when you go inside the adobe and see the bricks, you'll see different shades because they came from different places on the ranch."

Deborah Burleigh, of Ventura, attended the event with her 9-year-old daughter, Tru Killion, who was among several children making mud bricks.

Burleigh said Sunday's experience was priceless.

"It's invaluable as far as I'm concerned, as far as teaching our kids how this lifestyle worked," Burleigh said. "This is just so hands on and so good for my daughter."